Predictors of Blogging in Six Arab Countries: Just Another Activity on the Internet?

• In Event: Intercultural Communication and Media: Bridging the Research Divide

Abstract

This study examines predictors of blogging in six Arab countries. A survey of 7,525 people in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE was conducted via face-to-face interviews in all countries except Qatar, where phone interviews were completed, in 2013. The study assessed news and information use, particularly digital information use, and also examined levels of political efficacy, media trust, and attitudes toward free speech, among other cultural and political indicators. Despite the oft-referenced supposition that online activity in the Arab world is associated with political disaffection, results here suggest that online engagement in general—such as sharing photos online, participating in chat rooms, and reading others’ blogs—rather than sociopolitical indicators, is associated with blogging. In none of the countries, for example, was a sense that one’s country was not “on the right track” predictive of blogging. Also, distrust of mainstream news organizations hardly played a role.

Authors

• Justin D. Martin, Northwestern University in Qatar

• Klaus Schoenbach, Northwestern U in Qatar